Back To Shantzuhou, BOT Housing, Grass Mountain, Taipei, Taiwan

Buried in my inbox was a significant email. Peter Chang had written and attached pictures of the house he is renting from the Bank of Taiwan (BOT).

He is part of a growing group of Taiwanese whose wish is to preserve the 3 remaining areas of BOT housing in the Shantzuhou area of Grass Mountain. 

First, we will link the 3 areas as they were published on this blog. They will be followed by Peter's photos of his house.

To view the BOT "H"housing area, click HERE.

For a look at Shantzuhou's "C" housing, click HERE.

Now, for our final post, to take a look at Section "F" click HERE.

Photo courtesy of Scott Ellinger

A 1969 satellite photo was worked on by Scott, who singled out the existing BOT housing areas as well as several others.  

Our best wishes to Peter and his wife, Mickey in their efforts to keep Section F and all other Shantzehou housing from being demolished.  

All photos from here until the end of the post were taken by Peter Chang and were given to this blog by him. 

From a Google image, the area of F Housing where Peter's house is located is indicated by the red circle. 

Peter's house is the only one we have ever encountered where the Bank of Taiwan actually rents a home to a private citizen. 

All the bank requires is that the house and grounds be well maintained.  As you can see from this picture, Peter has removed grass and weeds to prepare the surface for sod.

This is the same house as the one above with one outstanding difference.  Rolls or pieces of sod have been brought in and put into place.  A nice lawn does a lot for the looks of a home.

Another area has been cleared and is ready for beautification.  Houses in this section are the most neglected because of the tiled roofs and the location next to the Chinese Culture University.

Again, using the mailbox as a marker, you can see that this section has also been filled in with sod.  

Because of the heat and sun, sometimes regular grass seed does not hold up and special sod must be brought in to survive. 

Not to dwell on the grass surrounding the house, but this must be of great importance in order to rent this BOT "F" housing.  

Notice the above ground sprinkling system.  Water in this area was rationed when we lived near here in 1968-69. 

The back yard is flourishing thanks to the sprinkling heads that are on poles to the right of the house. 

As with most homes that were built by the BOT in the 1950s, this one also has a carport which protects the finish of a car from brutal rays of the sun.